• 


chemistry  or  WOOD 

VI.    The  Results  cf  Analysis  cf  tieartiuccd  and  Sapuicod 

of  Some  American  Woods 

October  1923 


UNIV.  OF  FL  LIB. 
DOCUMENTS  PEP' 


U.S.  DEPOSITORY 


mm  of  mm  wm 


UNITED  STATES  DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE 

FOREST    SERVICE 
FOREST      PRODUCTS     LABORATORY 
Madison,    Wisconsin 

In  Cooperation  with  the  University  of  Wisconsin 


CHEMISTRY  OF  WOOri 


VI  —  The  Results  of  Analysis  of  Heartwood 
and  Sapwood  of  Some  American  Woods 


By  G.  J.  RITTSR,  Chemist 
and 
L.  C.  FLECK,  Associate  Chemist 


This  report  contains  the  results  obtained  in  the  analysis  of  heart- 
wood  and  sapwood  of  ten  American  woods.   The  work  was  undertaken  to  deter- 
mine whether  there  is  any  uniform  difference  in  chemical  composition  be- 
tween sapwood  and  heartwood  in  either  softwoods  or  hardwoods. 

The  methods  of  analysis  used  are  the  same  as  given  in  the  preceding 
papers  in  this  series.—   All  determinations  were  made  in  duplicate  and 
the  average  is  given  in  Table  1. 


Discussion  of  Results 


Ash  content. — There  is  no  general  agreement  in  the  relative  ash  con- 
tent of  sapwood  and  heartwood  in  the  species  examined. 

Extractive  content. — In  general,  the  extracts  of  ether,  cold  water, 
hot  water,  and  1  percent  sodium  hydroxide  are  lower  in  the  sapwood  than  in 
the  heartwood  of  the  softwoods.   In  the  hardwoods  the  extractives  are  lower 
in  the  sapwood  than  in  the  heartwood  of  yellow  birch,  white  oak,  and  yellow 
poplar,  but  the  reverse  is  true  of  white  ash  and  pignut  hickory.   Thus, 
from  the  standpoint  of  extractive  content  in  sapwood  and  heartwood,  the 
hardwoods  analyzed  are  divided  into  two  classes  —  one  class  following  the 
order  of  the  softwood,  the  other  following  the  reverse  course. 

Acetic  acid. — The  acetic  acid  obtained  by  hydrolysis  is  higher  in 
the  sapwood  than  in  the  heartwood  of  both  classes  of  woods. 

Methoxyl  content. — The  relative  percentages  of  methoxyl  in  the  sap- 
wood  and  heartwood  of  the  species  analyzed  cannot  be  arranged  in  any  general 
order. 


-Presented  before  the  Division  of  Cellulose  Chemistry  at  the  65th  meeting  of 
the  American  Chemical  Society,  New  Haven,  Conn. ,  Apr.  2-7,  192 3.   Pub- 
lished in  Jour.  Indus.  &  Eng.  Chem. ,  Oct.  1923.   IS,  IO55. 

2 

-Jour.  Indus.  &  Eng.  Chem.,  Nov.  1922.   lif,  IO5O. 

R916 


Pentosan  content.  —  There  is  a  tendency  toward  higher  yields  of 
pentosans  in  the  sapwood  than  in  the  heartwood  of  the  species  examined. 
The  difference  in  yields,  however,  is  slight. 

Methyl  pentosan  content, — The  methyl  pentosan  content  in  sapwood 
and  heartwood  of  the  same  class  is  quite  uniform. 

Cellulose  content. — For  the  relative  cellulose  content  of  sapwood 
and  heartwood,  the  species  analyzed,  with  the  exception  of  yellow  poplar, 
are  grouped  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  for  extractives.   All  the  softwoods 
examined  have  higher  cellulose  yields  in  the  sapwood  than  in  the  heartwood. 
This  tends  to  counterbalance  the  low  extractives  in  the  sapwood.   One  hard- 
wood group,  yellow  "birch  and  white  oak  with  high  extractives'- in  the  heart- 
wood,  has  high  cellulose  content  in  the  sapwood.   The  other  group  of  hard- 
woods, white  ash  and  pignut  hickory  with  high  extractives  in  the  sapwood, 
has  high  cellulose  content  in  the  heartwood.   The  results  obtained  from 
the  two  yellow  poplar  samples,  which  are  an  exception  to  the  foregoing 
scheme  of  grouping,  can  be  explained  "by  referring  to  the  condition  of  the 
samples. 

Both  yellow  poplar  samples  showed  slight  signs  of  decay  in  the  sap- 
wood.   This  condition  would  tend  to  increase  extractives  in  the  sapwood. 
The  results  show  slightly  higher  extractives  in  the  heartwood  than  in  the 
sapwood,  which  indicates  that  on  the  "basis  of  extractives  yellow  poplar  is 
strictly  a  member  of  the  first  group  of  hardwoods.   If  it  belongs  to  the 
first  group,  the  cellulose  content  should  be  higher  in  the  sapwood  than  in 
the  heartwood,  which  is  not  the  case.   This  can  also  be  explained  on  the 
basis  of  the  decayed  condition  which  decreases  the  cellulose  content  in 
the  sapwood,  the  reverse  of  what  would  be  expected  in  sound  yellow  poplar. 

Lignin  content. — In  softwoods,  with  the  exception  of  white  cedar, 
the  lignin  content  is  higher  in  the  sapwood  than  in  the  heartwood.   In  the 
hardwoods  all  species  except  yellow  poplar  have  a  higher  lignin  content  in 
the  heartwood  than  in  the  sapwood. 

A  study  of  the  ratio  between  methoxyl  and  lignin  is  shown  in  Table  2. 
A  study  of  the  results  reveals  the  fact  that  the  methoxyl- lignin  ratio  is 
approximately  50,  percent  higher  in  hardwoods  than  in  softwopds.   This  ratio 
averages  less  than  13  percent  in  bald  cypress.   In  Paper  V  of  this  series- 
it  was  shown  that  the  methoxyl  content  of  isolated  redwood  and  live  oak 
lignins  was  approximately  17. 5  percent.  Bald  cypress  lignin  could  not  meet 
these  specifications  and,  consequently,  it  must  differ  in  chemical  composi- 
tion from  redwood  and  live  oak  lignins. 

Pentosan  content  of  cellulose. --The  pentosan  content  has  a  slight 
tendency  to  run  higher  in  the  sapwood  cellulose  than  in  the  heartwood 
cellulose,  similar  to  the  results  obtained  in  the  original  wood. 

Methyl  pentosan  content  of  cellulose.— In,  general,  the  methyl  pento- 
san content  is  slightly  higher  in  the  heartwood  cellulose  than  in  the  sap- 
wood  cellulose.  A  similar  relation  was  found  in  the  heartwood  and  sapwood 
of  the  original  samples. 

R916  -2- 


Alpha-,  beta-,  and  gamma-cellulose  content  of  cellulose.  —  The  per- 
centages of  the  three  kinds  of  cellulose  in  sapwood  and  heartvzood  cellulose 
cannot  he  grouped  in  any  definite  arrangement. 


Conclusions 

Jrom  a  study  of  the  data  given  in  this  report  the  following  conclu- 
sions may  be  drawn: 

1.  In  softwoods  the  water,  ether,  and  alkali  extracts  are  higher 
in  the  heartwood  than  in  the  sapwood,  and  as  a  result  the  cellulose  and 
lignin  are  correspondingly  lower  in  the  heartwood  (except  lignin  in  white 
cedar) . 

2.  On  the  basis  of  extractives  hardwoods  are  divided  into  two 
groups:   (a)  those  with  high  extractives  in  the  heartwood,  and  (b)  those 
with  high  extractives  in  the  sapwood.   The  former  have  high  cellulose  con- 
tent in  the  sapwood;  the  latter  in  the  heartwood. 

3-   Acetic  acid  by  hydrolysis  is  higher  in  the  sapwood  than  in  the 
heartwood  of  both  softwoods  and  hardwoods. 


R916  -3- 


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Table  2. — Ratio  of  methoxyl  to  lignin  on  oven-dry  (105°  C. )  weight  of  the 
wood. 


:     Lignin 

:      CH3O 

:   CH3O 

x  100 

Species 

:  No. 

Lignin 

:  Sapwood 

:Heartwood 

'Sapwood 

: Hear two od 

Sapwood 

'Hear two od 

White  ash 

( 

2 

3 

26.95 
27.39 

'  27.39 
28.38 

4.70 
5.66 

:    5.36 
:   5.20 

17.4 
20.0 

:   19.5 
:   18. 3 

Yellow  poplar. . 

( 

l 

2 

23. 08 
23.86 

22.19 
23.69 

5.81 
5.89 

5.86 
:   6.O3 

25.2 
24.7 

26.4 
25.4 

Black  hickory. . 

. .  .  : 

1 

21.87 

22.85 

5.56 

:   5.79 

25.4 

25.3 

(J 

1   : 
2 

25.97 
26. 64 

25.  68 

25.94    ■ 

2.29 
5.26 

5-33 

5.26 

20.4 
19.8 

20.1 
20.3 

Bald  cypress 

1  : 

2  : 

3^.01  : 
35.31  : 

33.06   : 
32.27   : 

4.35 
4.99 

3.94 
4.07 

12.4 
14.0 

11.9 
12.6 

Eastern  white  p 

ine : 

1   : 

26.52  • 

26. Ik      : 

4.16 

4.60 

15.7 

17.6 

Yellow  cedar. . . 

.  . .  : 

1   : 

29.03  : 

28.73  : 

k.ko  • 

4.81   : 

15.1 

16.7 

Southern  white 

(! 

2  : 

3  : 

29.85  ' 
32. 14  : 

3L39 
32. 42   : 

5.07 
5.23 

5.00 
:   5.09 

17.1 
16.2 

15.9 
15.7 

Incense  cedar. . 

1 

34.73 

33.67   : 

5.95 

6.21 

17.1 

18.4 

B.916 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 


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